​DENHAM SPRINGS, LA – Students at Juban Parc Elementary
School are learning from a new perspective this school year – and like the
cliché says, it comes from where they are sitting.Or better yet, how they are sitting.

Several
of their classrooms have been redesigned to incorporate more flexibility in
their daily routine.Seating options
include bouncy balls, wobbly stools, floor cushions and a futon.

Students
are allowed to choose the type of seating and area in the classroom that’s most
comfortable for them.In some cases, the
options help students manage their restlessness, other options are just more
comfortable than the traditional desks with hard-backed chairs and they make it
easier for them to collaborate with their classmates.

“We are
changing our classroom culture to give our students the space and room they
need to move about and collaborate with others.The flexibility is helping our students focus better on what we’re
trying to do in our classes, and that’s boosting learning,” Juban Parc Elementary
Principal Shanna Steed said.

Steed,
who was a finalist last year for the Louisiana Principal of the Year, said she discussed
implementing flexible seating with Sarah McCrary, a fourth-grade teacher at Juban
Parc Elementary, during the summer prior to the 2016-2017 school year. Once
Steed learned more about the benefits of flexible classroom seating at a
national conference two years ago, she was excited to start a pilot program
with a few pieces of furniture last year.

Studies
suggest that children who participate in short bouts of physical activity
within the classroom have more on-task behavior, with the best improvement seen
in students who are least on-task initially.

Steed
said many of her teachers quickly saw positive results and bought into the
concept, and this year she’s expanded the program to students in first grade
and up.

“It’s
about making our classrooms student-centered, not teacher-centered,” McCrary
said.“In a flexible classroom, every area
can become a learning space for students.”

“A
bookshelf becomes a standing work station, a beanbag transforms into a reading
corner, and whiteboard paint turns any surface into a writing opportunity.
These classrooms allow students to choose, or to create, the spaces they need
to succeed—helping them understand themselves better as learners while building
21st-century skills like collaboration, communication, and creativity,” McCrary
said.

“I admit,
at first I was a bit nervous about incorporating flexible seating into our 5th
grade classroom, thinking I'd have to give up pieces of the necessary
organization and management.However,
after just a few days with my 5th graders learning from various
seating, I quickly realized that I wasn't losing anything.Rather, my students are gaining so much,”
Lowery said.“Our classroom is still
organized and student expectations are clear.My 5th graders are better focused, more involved in discussions, and they
have a stronger sense of belonging.After all, that's what it's all about.”

Assistant
Superintendent Joe Murphy said the district is supporting flexible seating at
several campuses across the parish who are experimenting with the new setups
this school year.

“The flexible classroom design is really just
an outward display of a greater effort in our schools—and that’s to move
teaching and learning into the 21st Century.We know so much more today about how the brain works and how individuals
have different learning styles,” Murphy said.

“We
believe this will eventually evolve into the way all classrooms look,” Murphy
said.

Steed
noted that she reached out to the local Assess the Need school supply program
to help fund part of the classroom redesign, and she was able to add a few
dollars her school had saved up to pay the rest.

“We are
very fortunate to have district leaders and a community network that is willing
to support our efforts to advance learning in our schools,” Steed said.

“We are
creating an atmosphere and a teaching culture that supports greater flexibility
and greater creativity so our students can begin to explore more of the
concepts and ideas around them.We don’t
want just good students.We want 21st Century
thinkers in our classrooms,” Steed added.

​

Juban Parc Elementary Teacher Kelli Lowery kneels down to review Olivia Landry’s work on her laptop, while classmates Autumn Ballard and Kinsley Worthington work together on the other side of the low table.
​

Juban Parc Elementary Fourth-Grader Jada Williams is seated on a green ball at her class work station. She is collaborating with classmate Haylee Rincon (standing), while from left to right, Kyle Poucher and Ziria Hawkins work together.

Juban Parc Elementary Fourth-Grader Kayley Crusta is seated on a green ball at her class work station. Classmate Cole Acosta is pictured in the background.

​

Notice of Discrimination

The Livingston Parish School Board does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, national origin, disability or gender in its educational programs and activities (including employment and application for employment), and it is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of gender by Title IX (20 USC 168) and on the basis of disability by Section 504 (42 USC 794). The Title IX Coordinator is Stephen Parrill